Welcome to the Literary Website of Robert Vaughan – Writer, Editor, Workshop Leader

I had a good writing week, as far as the usual week goes. I wrote every day, had my Friday Roundtable today (we missed you, Nancy BK! And Carol!) and after 14 years of leading that group, I almost always drive home in amazement of the work, the comments, and support. So grateful; I’m a lucky guy.

I also had two acceptances (back in the Submission game!) and found out some exciting news about one of my pieces that was published at Hobart Journal last November. Bud Smith was the guest editor and he accepted 5 flash fictions, mostly all from journals that have gone out of publication. You can read them all here: http://www.hobartpulp.com/web_features/five-stories. I can’t share the “exciting news” part quite yet. Just know I am over-the-moon!!!

Today was the beginning of Jonathan Cardew’s Ugly Real Beautiful: Let Your Characters Tell theStory. It’s our third Bending Genres weekend workshop of 2019, and all three (Meg Tuite in January; Alina Stefanescu in February) have been full so far. We only take 20 writers max, and our next opportunity, Sara Lippmann’s Mine What Matters, is more than half full already. So, don’t wait!!! More here: https://bendinggenres.com/monthly-workshops/.

Today I also booked flights for Synergia Ranch, our first Bending Genres retreat on May 10-16. I am so excited for this! Also, we still have some openings for our second Bending Genres retreat at Mabel Dodge Luhan House in Taos, N.M. on July 21-27. Come write your heart out in the desert, eat gourmet food, laugh and dream with like-minded writers: http://retreat.bendinggenres.com

And, I hope to see you in Portland at https://www.awpwriter.org, March 27- 31? I’ll be floating around the book fair needing a haircut, hiding in back booths at late- night readings, toasting friends like Bill Soldan, Karen Stefano, Len Kuntz, Jayne Martin and a plethora of other talents who have new books, or books being birthed soon. Please let me know if you have any signings or engagements.

Also, the innovative and wonderful Alina Stefanescu taught our most recent Bending Genres online weekend workshop, February 15- 17, “Subverting the Line Break.” We hosted 20 writers, and over 70 different pieces were created, workshopped, and given salient feedback. Most of these fit our BG model perfectly, some more prose than poetry, or vice versa. Many fit into those hybrid margins we so love. We have more workshops forthcoming, including Jonathan Cardew in March, and Sara Lippmann in April. For more information on our upcoming monthly workshops, you can visit our website here:

And last, but not least, we have filled our Bending Genres Synergia Ranch writing retreat, May 10-16, outside of Santa Fe!!! But we still have openings for our Mabel Dodge Luhan House retreat, in Taos, New Mexico on July 21-27. Here are some images from our two former workshops held at MDLH:

We published our new Bending Genres issue two a few days ago: www.bendinggenres.com. We’ve had so many nice compliments but truly without our writers, we would not have anything to showcase. Also thanks editors Meg Tuite, David O’Connor, Samuel Fox, Jessica Mehta, and Jonathan Cardew. Thanks Adam Robinson for your IT wizardry, and KJ for your uploading and editorial skills. We are currently open for submissions, so send us your weird and best!

Jonathan Cardew also taught our second Bending Genres online weekend workshop, “Flash: Wondrous & Weird.” It was well- attended and participants wrote some incredibly unusual (for them) pieces! We currently have two spots left for our May 18-20 weekend workshop; “Deep Leap/ Deep Sleep” and I will be teaching this! More information here: https://bendinggenres.com/online-workshops/.

Also, Meg Tuite and I are preparing daily for our upcoming Bending Genres Synergia Ranch retreat!!! The new header image I selected is from New Mexico, and I’ll add more photos at the end of this post from September 2017, when we had our first experience at the Ranch. It’s phenomenal, spiritual, strange, clear, a gift to honor your own hard work if that appeals to you. We like writers of all levels, and varieties. In fact, we asked writer Lynn Mundell six questions about her experience at Synergia Ranch last September: https://bendinggenres.com/2018/04/08/bending-genres-q-a-with-author-lynn-mundell/

The upcoming dates are April 27- May 3, 2018. We currently have 12 registered writers and can take a few more. Here is our website to look further: http://retreat.bendinggenres.com.

There’s a new kid on the block… and it’s not just another online journal! No!!! Bending Genres started as the name that Meg Tuite and I gave to our week long writing retreats. We still plan to use this name for our two Bending Genres retreats in 2018:

We have 31 incredible pieces, a winning combination of short fiction, prose poems, and creative non-fiction. Many are superb examples of hybrid, or cross-genre work. Our entire journal staff are so proud! Also huge thanks to Meg Tuite, David O’Connor, Samuel Fox, Jessica Mehta, and Jonathan Cardew. Also Adam Robinson for his genius design and input, and KJ for his IT finesse. We had an astounding number of hits over the weekend- close to 2,000!!!

The third facet of the new Bending Genres empire is our all-new weekend workshops! We launched in January with Meg Tuite teaching Flash Fiction: Close to the Edge on January 19-21. We had a great turn-out, 21 writers registered, and amazing writing throughout the entire weekend, combined with great facilitating by Meg and participants.

Our next adventure is March 23-25, with Jonathan Cardew teaching Flash: Wondrous & Weird. More information, including how you can register (we are already half full) here: https://bendinggenres.com/online-workshops/.

And so, send us your submissions! Register for a course! Attend a retreat! We’d love to have you join our Bending Genres family, as we continue to watch it grow. And grow.

In November, I stepped into the role of Editor-in-Chief at (b)OINK. Prior to that, for the entire year I was the Fiction Editor. Our magazine has had an outstanding year, including the new, December issue we published two days ago: http://boinkzine.com.

Just a quick recap will help you to understand how busy our editorial staff has been:

And to our amazing staff, some who remain, some who’ve moved on, I am eternally grateful: Meg Tuite, Chelsea Laine Wells, Jamal Parker, Caitlin Scarano, Samuel Fox, David O’Connor, Jessica Mehta, and Corey Holzman. Your hard work and editorial skills have made it the magazine for so many writers and diverse voices: over 30 different countries, a multitude of cultures represented, outstanding risk-taking writers.

In 2018, we will be launching our all new Bending Genres ONLINE WORKSHOPS!!! Beginning January 19-21, with Meg Tuite teaching Fast Flash Fiction: Close to the Edge. More information is here: http://boinkzine.com/january-fast-flash-fiction/. You can take this workshop from anyplace in the entire world! Don’t wait too long to nab your post, we are already filling up!

Also we are adding to our current magazine staff: Fiction Editors Meg Tuite and David O’Connor; Poetry Editor Samuel Fox and our new Poetry editor Jessica Mehta; all new column curated by Jonathan Cardew called Microviews (might include reviews, interviews and more), and our inimitable intern, who does so much more than any intern, Corey Holzman.

All this, and these are just a tip of the entire journey.

I’m indebted, and so grateful to you all. Thanks for the amazing year.

I recently attended a week long writer’s retreat at Omega Institute called Memoir as Bewilderment. I think what attracted me, aside from stellar writer and teacher Nick Flynn, was the bewilderment factor. I feel as if life presents itself in this manner often, and my writing most certainly contains an element of the unknown, or the mysterious.

I arrived after car, plane, cab, train, and shuttle. I met my first writer taking the same course at the Rhinecliff train station, Anne. We immediately bonded over books, family similarities, New York and there was an immediacy that writers tend to have.

Prior to the workshop we were asked to bring with us: 10-20 pages of our own writing (and to choose one page to make copies for everyone), one page from a published book), a science article (copies for everyone). All of these were to hopefully contain elements of what we define as bewilderment. I’d just completed Sherman Alexie’s You Don’t Have to Say You Love Me, his new memoir about his mother. Plenty of bewilderment!

The workshop was held in the Creekside cottage, which was a tight space for 25 writers! After selecting a word from the white board (I chose “to Lose”) we were given a postcard image. We meditated for seven minutes (a welcome recurring theme before our writing prompts) and then wrote “descriptive writing”- trying to stick with details. We repeated this exercise with slight suggested revisions, so that eventually we had written four or five different prompts. We also read Larry Levis’s lyric poem, “Sensationalism.” My small group was Laura, Kathryn and Carrie. I also partnered with Sean on a couple of exercises.

Teacher Nick Flynn, author of several books, including his memoir, Another Bullshit Night inSuckCity, which I read during our Omega workshop. (http://www.nickflynn.org)

One evening, we saw Aja Monet read from her stellar poetry collection, My Mother Was AFreedom Fighter at the Omega Library. She was amazing.

In class we also drew maps of a specific location, and a map of our body (placing both trauma and joys on the body). These were used for prompts. We did a movement exercise with Omega staff and writer JoJo that helped us to identify a place in which we might go deeper into a writing piece. Then we wrote a piece toward a direction on our maps. We also visualized our ‘home direction,’ and figured out a gift to give to our “person,” (used from our original postcards) and wrote a fairy tale prompted piece to a younger self in a deep woods.

Stanley Kunitz, a mentor of Nick’s said: “You have to become the person that can write the poem.” (of compassion, of anger, of solace, etc.)

On Wednesday, Nick’s friend and music collaborator, Guy Barash visited the Omega campus. We did an afternoon workshop with Guy, directing us with non-musical instruments, graphed and designed on paper. We did a silent meditation just listening to local ambient sounds (heater, planes, crickets, etc.) and “recorded” them, then attempted to translate them to the class (from our papers). Then, in groups, we performed our pieces. Then Guy directed the entire class as an aural orchestra. We dubbed ourselves the Unstable Atomic Pigs! Nick was so kind, he invited us to open for Nick and Guy’s performance in the Lake Theater that evening. Also Jared Handelsman, another collaborator, provided video footage. Their show was beyond inspiring!

On Thursday our class occupied the Lake Theater at Omega. This was an entire day devoted to our “working project.” We went through our various collected pages, new writing and brought pieces, and various favorites from the group. We marked the “resonant parts,” and Nick coached us to be generous- not one or two words, mark “whole passages.” From there, we literally cut out those parts, and placed them onto 30 blank sheets of white paper. I sort of figured out that I had three or four threads for my project. And I had organized them all in these groupings. Then Nick came over, listened as I described my chaos, and said, “okay, now you can switch them all up- move them around, etc.” I literally felt nauseous! But so did everyone else. Chaos… opposite of organized.

The last morning, Nick fielded a quick question and answer. Because I had to leave early on Friday, I was the first in order for the final reading. I read “Tributaries,” and “When He Left it all to Me.” I was only able to stay for the first four or five other readers. I felt so badly when I slipped out, but I had to catch the train, to the cab, to the plane, to the car ride home. My dear friend David Carter (who incidentally was the first friend I workshopped with at Omega in 1994), came and spent an overnight on Thursday, and transported me to the Rhinecliff train station. Bless his heart.

What a week. So grateful to Nick Flynn, teacher extra-ordinaire, my co-writers and creators, to Omega for hosting this amazing workshop. To friends, new and old. And always to my honey, who makes life seem more technicolor than ever.

I just returned last night from a blissful, inspiring week at the organic farm, Synergia Ranch. Fellow writer Meg Tuite and I hosted a week long writing retreat called Bending Genres.

We had 17 writers attend, some stayed the entire week, some commuted. It was a treat, the support flowed, and the powerful, astounding writing that all of the workshop participants conjured up was refreshing.

It’s been a busy month. My biggest news is that FUNHOUSE had a mention in The New YorkReview of Books- The August 17th edition. Pinch me now!!! This is a pretty major accomplishment. They’d read my FUNHOUSE Kirkus Review and contacted me. FUNHOUSE is happy, and my family/ friends are happy. I am over the moon!

Also, I recently read at Boswell Books with local writers, novelist Lee Kreckwell (The ExpanseBetween), poet Caitlin Scarano (Do Not Bring Him Water), and Chicago author Ben Tanzer (BeCool– Essays/ Memoir). The evening was referred to as a mix of Micro, Poetry, Fiction and Memoir (a blend of genres):

There was a nice write-up in our local Sheperd Express about the reading:

And a couple of great things happened at (b)OINK, where I am the Managing Editor. First of all, we announced our nominees for Best of the Net. This was quite difficult because we were limited in terms of how many pieces, and so many terrific ones to select from. Please head over to (b)OINK and read these phenomenal nominations (www.boinkzine.com):

And then, we announced the TOP 20 finalists in our very first Flash Fiction Contest. We had over 150 entries!!! And our vetters did a fantastic job: Len Kuntz, Dianca London, and Nicholas Cook. Then our guest judge, Kathy Fish, selected the top three winners- they will be announced on September 1st. Here are the top 20 stories, without the authors’ names:

And finally, the Hurricane Harvey scared us so much, with precious family who live in the Corpus Christi area. Everyone is safe, and fortunately the rain damage is not over yet. Please think positive thoughts for all those in Hurricane Harvey’s plight.

I leave on Tuesday for Bending Genres, a workshop at Synergia Ranch, outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico. I’m hosting with the kickass, and brilliant Meg Tuite. We have 17 writers aligned to arrive on Friday, September 1. I’m beyond thrilled and ready to have a stimulating and eye-opening week-long experience.

Then, at the LOS ANGELES REVIEW OF BOOKS, there was a fine essay called Protean Miniatures: The Adaptability and Sustainability of Flash Fiction by Sean Hooks, in which he mentions RIFT, my last book with Kathy Fish (about halfway through the article). This was a shock, and a very pleasant one!

And we have a new (b)OINK poetry editor, Jamal, and an intern, Corey, as well as a new office in Walker’s Point, a diverse and fun neighborhood in Milwaukee. More new things forthcoming!

Our first (b)OINK presents reading will be on Thursday, June 29th, at Sugar Maple in Bay View, WI. 7-9 p.m. Emceed by Dora Diamond. Surprises and gifts abound!

I had the great fortune of attending Marjorie Pagel’s book launch (The Romance of Anna Smithand other stories) at Anodyne yesterday. I was so thrilled she had standing-room-only crowd and her book is available at Amazon here:

Thanks for editor Audrey Meyers for her salient and insightful questions, my interview was published today at Midwestern Gothic magazine:

http://midwestgothic.com/2017/03/interview-robert-vaughan/

I also want to thank editors-in-chief and founders Jeff Phaller and Robert James Russell. I had the honor of my work appearing at MG in two of their early print journals, and also Kathy Fish and I were interviewed for our book, RIFT, at the MG website in 2016. Midwestern Gothic has expanded into the book business (MG Press) and offer “The Lake Prize” for Midwestern authors to enter. Be sure to check them out, especially if you live in the VAST MIDWEST!!!